Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

The Fight to Draw FL's New District


Conservative and Liberal Organizations are starting to press Florida Lawmakers on the State’s soon-to-be Allocated New Seat ahead of a Fight that could determine Control of Congress.

Conservative Nonprofit Democracy Now, led by former Trump Administration Official, Carlos Trujillo, is set to use Florida as the Staging Ground to Rebuild a Republican Majority in Congress, which would require flipping Three Seats Nationally. “Florida is the most competitive swing state by population and electoral votes,” Trujillo said. “And selfishly, I know this state better than Pennsylvania or Ohio, and it gets one more competitive seat next cycle.”

On the Democratic side, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), Chaired by former Attorney General, Eric Holder, has already met with Democratic Members of the State Legislature, and Created an Affiliated Group called All on the Line to focus on Influencing Lawmakers in Key States like Florida. “We have multiple staff on the ground here, and Florida is one of our nine target states we are tracking closely,” said Katie Vicsik, a Group Spokesperson.

The recent Census Bureau announcement that Florida will gain a New Congressional Seat has Lawmakers and Outside Interest Group predicting it could Reshape Florida’s Swing Voter-packed I-4 Corridor, with Democrats possibly Losing Out in the end. It comes against the Backdrop of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) Conservative Remake of the Florida Supreme Court, which as a more Liberal body, played a Huge Role in Drawing Maps during the last Redistricting Process.

Trujillo, a Miami Republican who as a State Representative served on the House’s Redistricting Committee during the last Map-Drawing Cycle, said his Group wants to Inform Lawmakers and the Public about how to Avoid the same type of lengthy Court Battles that Florida faced during the Last Redistricting Process. Much of that goes to the Legal Requirements under Fair Districts, a Florida Law that Requires Legislators to Draw New Districts without Favoring either Political Party or Incumbents.

The Last Redistricting Process in Florida lasted years and eventually went to the State Supreme Court. The GOP-led Legislature, which Redrew the Districts, claimed that it was a Fair Process but Ppponents argued that the GOP set up a Shadow Operation that Favored them. The State Supreme Court, in 2015, Ruled that the Legislature must Redraw Districts and do it with more Transparency.

Democracy Now has Not yet announced its Board of Directors, and does Not have to Disclose Donors, though Trujillo said he would consider doing so in the Future. Trujillo, who served as Trump’s Ambassador to the Organization of American States, said his Group does Not Plan on Creating their own Maps as part of the Public Map Drawing Process. “We plan to educate and inform the public on the rules,” he said. “We will have engagement throughout the state as appropriate to raise awareness to the public.”

The NRDC, last month, gave a Presentation to Florida’s Senate Democratic caucus to start laying the Early Groundwork with Elected Democrats in the State Legislature. The Group focuses on Lobbying for Redistricting Reforms, Filing Redistricting-related Lawsuits, and helping Fund Democratic Campaigns, including spending more than $500,000 on Florida Candidates and Committees since 2018.

Specific Data crucial to kicking off the Map-Drawing Process has been Delayed for months, and is Not expected out until Sept. 30th, Shortening the Timeline for Florida Lawmakers to Complete the Redistricting Process. Both Chambers in the GOP-led Florida Legislature have Hired Staff to focus on Redistricting and retained Law Firms in anticipation of forthcoming Legal Battles. They have, however, been Unable to begin the lengthy work of Redrawing State Political Lines, including basic steps like Naming Redistricting Committee Chairs.

“The [Florida] House has been focused on developing the fundamentals for the redistricting process,” House Speaker, Chris Sprowls (R-65th District, Tampa), said in an interview. “However, until we have actual census data, we cannot begin the process of drawing the maps.”

Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-10th District, Trilby) sent a Memo to his Members late last month saying the Chamber would need to Wait for more Granular Census Data before beginning the Process, but signaled it’s likely to be a Litigious Process once Map-Drawing beings. “While we await the delivery of the census data, I again encourage all Senators to be aware that they may be compelled to produce records or be subject to questioning under oath about conversations with parties who may attempt to persuade the Legislature to pass maps that favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent,” Simpson wrote in the April 26 Memo.

There is an anticipation that Committee Chairs for the Redistricting Process will be announced by the End of Summer, and that the Map Drawing Process will begin shortly thereafter. During the Last Redistricting Cycle, the Legislature held Public Hearings throughout the State so the Public and Interested Groups could Submit their Own Maps for Consideration. It’s unclear when, or if, a similar Process will take place this year.

Some Democrats are raising Concerns that the Shortened Timeline could prompt GOP Leaders to push New Maps through Quicker than they normally would. “Drafts filed later this year are going to be pushed through as quickly as possible in the new session, and Democrats in the minority need to be prepared for that,” said Matthew Isbell, a Democratic Consultant and Data Analyst. “This is not going to go slow. It must be a rapid response.”

Isbell said he anticipates most of the action will be in Central Florida along the State’s I-4 Corridor, which has seen huge Growth since the Last Census and is expected to be where Florida’s New Congressional Seat lands. “Let’s see how aggressive the Republicans will be. They would really like to be able to draw that seat, which is likely landing in the Central Florida region, to keep it Republican,” he said. “Other parts of the state have some slight nuances, but the real pure partisan fights will be along the I-4 corridor.”

Those Fights can include how to Redraw the 13th Congressional District, which is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist, who is Running for Governor. He has said the Potential that his Pinellas County Seat could be Carved-Up did Not influence his Decision to Challenge DeSantis.

State Rep. Ben Diamond (D-68th District, St. Petersburg), who was in line to serve as House Minority Leader, has already entered the Race for Crist’s District. He will now Run against Eric Lynn (D) in the Primary. The Winner will Advance to face Anna Paulina Luna (R) in a General Election already getting National Attention.

There is also Speculation that the 7th Congressional Seat held by Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D), which currently covers an increasingly Democratic slice of the Orlando Suburbs, could be Drawn into more Conservative Areas of the Region, thereby making it Tougher for her to hold. Murphy is considering a Bid for U.S. Senate, but has previously said the Potential Redrawing of her Seat is Not part of her Calculus. “Do they try to bring more of the seat into Lake or Volusia counties?” Isbell said, mentioning Two Conservative-leaning Counties in the Region. “It could end up looking bad because that district has come pretty left of the state because of the trends there.”

No matter how the Lines are initially Drawn, there will almost certainly be Legal Challenges to the New Maps, a likelihood made even Greater by Fair District, the State Anti-Gerrymandering Provisions. The Law prevents Seats from being Drawn to Limit Minority Access, and Requires New Districts be Compact and, when Possible, use Existing Geographic Boundaries for New District Lines.

But the Court’s Liberal Bloc that was in place during the First Challenge has since turned over, with DeSantis appointing Conservative-Leaning Justices that could side with the GOP if Redistricting Legal Challenges land before the State’s High Court. “We have hope that our elected officials can restore Floridians' trust back into this process,” said Vicsik. “If they cannot, we are prepared to do everything we can to ensure Floridians have fair districts whether that be through mobilizing grassroots energy, advancing legal action, or supporting reforms.” “We're tackling the problem from every side,” she added.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker


    
 
 


This post first appeared on The Independent View, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

The Fight to Draw FL's New District

×

Subscribe to The Independent View

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×